Homeowners who have embraced the “tiny home” lifestyle are discovering that it’s not so easy to find a place to put their property. Many tiny houses—usually considered to be between 100 and 400 square feet—are built on trailers with wheels so they can be towed, but zoning regulations in many cities don’t allow for temporary structures such as RVs or other movable homes. These laws also frequently specify a minimum size for a home or l
More new homes are coming equipped with front porches. Sixty-five percent of new single-family homes started in 2016 included a porch, according to a Census data analysis from the National Association of Home Builders. It’s only the second time since tracking began that new single-family homes with porches have moved back above 65 percent. For comparison, in 2005, 54 percent of new homes had porches.Certain regions of the U.S. are showing high
The Crete House, a precast concrete structure designed for the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition in Denver this month, is being touted as a home that is impervious to extreme weather, fires, moisture, mold, and insects. The Solar Decathlon, being held Thursday through Oct. 15, is a biennial competition that challenges teams of college students to design and build full-sized solar-powered homes. Thirteen teams from universities
Home builders and designers say demand is increasing for more flexible living spaces, giving rise once again to “bonus” or “multipurpose” rooms, The Wall Street Journal reports. Such rooms offer extra square footage for owners to create a space that fits their lifestyle. Baby boomers, for example, are showing interest in bonus rooms that could potentially serve as a first-floor master bedroom or suite.Out of the 20 top-selling floor pla
Green home construction has moved into the mainstream among single-family and multifamily home builders, according to the new report “Green Multifamily and Single Family Homes 2017 SmartMarketBrief.” The report was conducted by Dodge Data & Analytics in conjunction with the National Association of Home Builders.At least one-third of builders surveyed say green building is a significant share of their overall activity (more than 60 percent
New homes are expected to be a “primary driver of sales in 2018,” as 1.33 million housing starts are predicted next year—up from 1.22 million in 2017, according to Freddie Mac’s September Outlook report, which gauges future real estate activity. Total home sales are expected to increase about 2 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to the report.Economists also predict that the uptick in housing starts, coupled with a moderate increase in
Real estate professionals in South Florida say housing was largely spared the wrath of Hurricane Irma last week, and they expect only minor delays in closings. Homes that were under contract when Irma hit will need to be reinspected, says Jim Flood, regional manager for Supreme Lending in Fort Lauderdale. Some lenders are covering the average $200 cost for reinspections and extending interest rate lock-ins for 10 days to help clients minimize del
Accessory dwelling units are increasingly being used by homeowners to add small secondary housing options on their property. These “granny flats” may be in the form of a converted garage or even a tiny home in an oversized backyard.As more municipalities look to grant permits for these structures, some hope the trend can help alleviate housing shortages. Many forms of guest houses were deemed illegal in California up until recently. But a n
Millions of homeowners are getting ready to rebuild damaged property now that Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have moved out of Florida, Texas, and other affected areas. But media reports warn of a new threat: storm scammers.“We’ve seen it after every significant disaster, and we don’t expect anything different once the Harvey-induced floods recede,” Frank Scafidi, spokesman for the nonprofit National Insurance Crime Bureau, told CNN.Indeed,
Brace your new-home buyers for their home’s wait time: The average time to complete a single-family home is about 7.5 months, according to the Census Bureau’s 2016 Survey of Construction. That includes nearly a month of permitting before any construction takes place, and then another 6.5 months to finish the actual construction.However, the time to build can greatly depend on geographic location. For example, the New England region had the l
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